Ariadne's Decision
by KindHeartedWriter
Summary: What really made Ariadne decide to help Cobb, Eames, Yusuf, and Arthur? Was it the thrill of doing something dangerous? Or was it Arthur's warm brown eyes?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's my Inception story. Enjoy and tell me what you think.

. . .

Ariadne looked up to see Professor Miles beckoning her forward. "I've got a job offer for you." He smiled kindly at her, the smile familiar from when she would get a problem wrong and ask him about it. He never grew tired of her questions.

"Okay." She pulled her backpack on one shoulder and followed him out of the classroom. Walking toward the lobby was normal for her, she almost passed Professor Miles, expecting her new employer to be outside the building.

"I'd like you to meet Mr. Cobb." Professor Miles's voice sounds behind her.

"Hey, wait!" A voice made her turn around. A tall man, with blond hair slicked back with gel, was standing right behind her. She jumped, her eyes drawn to his. They were old eyes, centuries old. She looked him up and down, trying to figure out what his age was. He looked too old in the face, but physically he seemed to be in his thirties. He had casual clothes on, but when her eyes stared into his old ones, she realized he had a blank expression.

"I'm-" She started.

"Ariadne." He finished for her, his eyes trying to soften. "Nice to meet you." He shook her hand. She was surprised by his firm grip, but she remembered to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She said slowly.

She nodded and tried to smile. "Professor Miles," she looked for her teacher.

"If you have a moment, Mr. Cobb has a job offer he'd like to discuss with you." Professor Miles patted her shoulder.

"A work placement?" Ariadne asked. She saw Cobb's eyes soften completely for a few seconds before they hardened.

"Not exactly."

She sat up gasping, holding onto the armrest of the chair. "It's never just a dream is it?" Her eyes whirl over to Cobb in the chair next to her. "A face full of glass hurts like hell when you're in it." He paused. "It feels real."

"That's why the military developed a training program to make them. . ." She looked over to Arthur, the Point Man, Cobb had called him. His eyes were a warm brown, but even he had a blank expression. She sighed, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

"Why don't you give us another five minutes?" Cobb asked, already laying back.

Ariadne stared at him in shock. "Five minutes? We were talking for at least an hour."

"In the dream your mind functions more quickly, therefore time seems to feel more slow." Cobb pointed out, looking at her with those eternal eyes.

"Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in the dream." Arthur said from next to the PASIV-4.

"Why don't you see what you can get up to in five minutes?" Cobb sat up/

Ariadne nodded and let her eyes close as Arthur plugged her tube in.

"Very impressive." Cobb's voice sounded behind her. Ariadne felt the mood shift very slightly. She almost didn't notice.

"I know this bridge." His voice sounded distant. "This place is real, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I cross it every day to get to the college." Ariadne kept looking around, almost feeling disturbed. The projections started to walk in small clusters. She felt eyes boring on her from all sides.

"Never create places from memory. Always imagine new places." Cobb's voice was started to sound urgent.

"You have to draw from stuff you know right?" The Architect kept walking, trying to keep her pace casual.

"Only use details." Ariadne felt the Extractor's pace start to go faster. "A streetlamp or a phone booth. Never entire areas."

"Why not?" Ariadne almost stopped walking.

" Because building a dream on your memory is the easiest way to lose your grasp on what's real, and what is a dream." Cobb was right behind her now.

Ariadne thought the words in her mind, but she was surprised when the words slipped out. "Is that what happened to you?"

Cobb grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

"Listen, this has nothing to do with me, you understand?" He made her look into his serious eyes.

"Is that why you need me to build your dreams?" A guy tried to pull her away from Cobb.

"Get off her." Cobb pushed the man away. Another arm jerked her to the right. "Back up!"

"Cobb!" She screamed, trying to yank herself away from the strong grip. Ariadne looked up to see Cobb being pulled away from her, trapped by three men. "Let me go! Let me go!" She yelled, still trying to squirm her way from them.

"Mal!" Cobb yelled, trying to punch his restraints. Ariadne saw the crowd part as a woman stalked up to her. Ariadne went cold when she saw the knife.

"Wake me up! Wake me up!" Ariadne screamed.

"Mal! No!" The Extractor tugged hard on his restraints. "No!" The woman was right in front of Ariadne, and she didn't hesitate as her hand flew to Ariadne's stomach.

Ariadne screamed. "Wake me-"

A stunning pain went through Ariadne's stomach and she keeled over, her vision darkening.

Her eyes flew open and she sat up, gasping.

"Hey! Hey, look at me. You're okay. You're okay." Arthur was by her side immediately, looking into her face. His normal stoic face was a mask of concern.

"I'm okay." She clutched her stomach. Arthur's arm was around her shoulder. "Why didn't I wake up?"

"Because there was still some time on the clock." Arthur's eyes flashed over to Cobb, who was beginning to stir. "You can't wake up from a dream unless you die."

"She'll need a totem." Cobb stood up.

"What?" Ariadne cried, staring at him.

"A totem, it's a small-" The Point Man started.

"That's some subconscious you got there, Cobb." Ariadne called after him, interrupting the Point Man. "She's a real charmer."

Arthur's warm brown eyes met hers. "Oh, I see. That was his wife."

Ariadne blinked. "She's his wife?"

The Point Man nodded and didn't try to stop her as she walked out.

ARTHUR'S POV

Arthur gasped when he saw the new Architect. She had big brown eyes that were so curious, that he wanted to see if he could get her to ask him questions, just to watch her curiosity.

He was angry when she left, and slightly disappointed. He glared at Cobb.

"Did you have to show her Mal?" He asked the Extractor.

Cobb frowned. "She's part of my-"

The Point Man cut him off. "Part of your subconscious. Can't control her, I know."

Cobb turned his eternal eyes on Arthur. "I know who else we can't control."

Arthur tried hard not to smirk knowingly and turned to another subject. "Where's our Forger?"

"Eames?"

"Yeah, that guy that we trust so much with our lives."

"I thought you hated him."

"Past tense. Still do." Arthur grinned, a rare thing.

"He'll be here by tomorrow." The Extractor looked up at the PASIV-4.

"Great." Arthur sighed, letting his mind wonder.

Ariadne.

He had fallen for her. Great. As if life was hard enough. As soon as he thought about her, he dreamed that night. The first dream in years.

. . .

A/N: Writing an Inception story is harder than it seems. R&R and this will be slightly different than the movie, and this will go on after the movie. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Ariadne sighed. She opened her door to let Shire out. He ran straight ahead, almost as if he knew where he was going.

"Shire! Come back!" Ariadne hurtled herself after her dog, praying he would avoid the street. Thankfully, Shire stayed on the sidewalk, slowing down a little. He looked back to see her, and only picked up speed. Ariadne managed to stay a few feet behind him. Shire ran gracefully around a corner.

Ariadne now knew what was happening. _A wild goose chase._ She mused. _He'll probably take me back to the apartment._

Sudden crowds sprang up in their path and Ariadne constantly had to duck around people. Shire did not seem like he wanted to slow down. Ariadne's legs were aching.

"Shire, slow down!" Shire only seemed to pick up speed. Ariadne felt as if she were on the edge of tripping. Shire finally stopped. Ariadne forced her legs to move and she scooped him up in one fluid motion.

Ariadne heard someone clear his throat. She looked up.

It was Arthur. Ariadne went cold.

His eyes were warm as he took Shire from her. "Are you coming back to me, Ariadne?"

Ariadne shook her head. Arthur persisted. "Of course you are. Your dream lead you here."

"Shire led me here." Arthur draped his arm around her shoulder.

"' All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.'" Arthur murmured.

Ariadne gasped, pulling away from him. He smiled at her, his stoic face gone. It was like he pulled off a mask.

Arthur smiled. "There's nothing-"

"Quite like it." Ariadne sat up, her eyes opening as she finished Arthur's sentence. She looked around her apartment.

_I'm going back._ She decided. She felt a flicker of joy. Her dream had meant something. Her heart was telling her to go back.

She rationalized with herself that she wanted to help Cobb get back to his children. She sighed.

She knew she wanted to see Arthur again.

A/N: Sorry for the short chappie. R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry guys. I've put this on haitus for too long. I might be able to keep updating (I've discovered that when you get Writers' block on something and you've had it for a while, just go watch the movie on it and you'll get inspiration).

The thing is that I don't have an inspiration right now. Sorry if you guys think this is a chapter, it's not.

If I do update this again and (possibly) be able to keep updating, I'll delete this little note thing.

This story just might be a TwoShot.

I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone. I know I've disappointed myself. I had high hopes when I posted mu story. Sorry! D:

Best Lines of Inception for me:

"Never recreate from your memory, always imagine new places." -Dom Cobb

"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange." -Dom Cobb

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling." -Eames

"You're asking me for Inception. I hope you understand the gravity of that request." -Dom Cobb

* * *

"I'm just doing what you taught me." Dom Cobb says.

"I never taught you to be a thief." Professor says.

* * *

"I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time." -Dom Cobb

* * *

Arther: It would have to be a 747.

Cobb: Why is that?

Arthur: Because in a 747, the pilot's up top, and the first class cabin's in the nose, so no one would walk through. But you'd have to buy out the entire cabin. And the first class flight attendant. . .

Saito: I bought the airline.

[_Everybody turns and stares at him. Saito just shrugs_]

Saito: It seemed neater.

* * *

[_Looking at her totem_] "An elegant solution for keeping track of reality." -Ariadne

[_Handing his abductors his wallet_] "There's five hundred dollars in there. And the wallet's worth more than that." -Fischer


End file.
